


Looking for the Holiday Spirit

by Pmzilla



Series: Looking Beyond the Horizon [8]
Category: Looking (TV)
Genre: Dom and Lynn, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 02:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7917235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pmzilla/pseuds/Pmzilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eddie and Agustin throw a holiday party, which brings together Dom with Lynn for the first time since they split.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love the character of Dom. For his character, I wished the movie gave more resolution. I wanted to give him a love interest and a potential twist. (plus in my fantasy casting - Aussie Murray Bartlett as Dom should have fellow Boy from Oz, Hugh Jackman for a boyfriend)

**Scene: Eddie & Agustin’s house**

“So, you know how much I love a theme party-but Holiday Drama seems like it's been done one or a thousand times.” Eddie is up on a ladder, hanging fairy lights. He's talking to Agustin, who is stirring mulled wine on the stove.

“I know - but it's been a long time since they split. Lynn has been an amazing benefactor to the shelter. And Dom is with Chris now, right? And in the end, it's an open house, so no one should feel trapped.”

“Everyone play nice with others.”

“Oh shit, is Handsome Jake coming down, too?”

“Yes, so is the actual theme ‘people who Dom has fucked’? Present company excluded.”

“Who else?”

“Paddy?”

“Ok yeah - but he doesn't count.”

“Is Lynn bringing that porn star looking bear power bottom friend of his?”

“Matthew? Yeah - then him, too.”

“Jesus, Dom is a such a slut.”

“Jealous?”

“Kinda.” Eddie and Agustin kiss.  

 

**Scene: bedroom at Chris’ Apartment**

“So he is your former boyfriend?”

“We were never ‘boyfriends’; you can't call a 50-something year old guy ‘boyfriend’”

Dom and Christoph - a handsome native of Sydney, who came to San Francisco in the first wave of Silicon Valley investment - are in bed, and Dom is casting around for a different topic of post-coital pillow talk.

But Chris is undeterred, “Well, then your lover?”

“Ok. Yes.”

“Dom, possum, I just want to know what I might be walking into. Most nights out with your mates tend towards low drama and -at this point - a very stable cast of characters. If Lynn’s presence is significant enough that Agustin thought to warn you, you can't fault me for curiosity.”

“Well his concern would seem to be misplaced...just because Dom’s Chicken is a bit downmarket from where Lynn would typically eat, the boys think that there's something in it.”

Chris sighs, then smiles, “downmarket? You are starting to sound like me, mate.”

Dom laughs too, and pulls Chris on top of him, running his hand down Chris’ chest and kissing him hard.

 

**Scene: Patrick & Richie’s house, kitchen**

“Are we going over together, or do you have to meet me there?” Patrick is washing dishes.

“Right before the holidays, I may be slammed. So let's meet there, ok? Is it going to be a big party?”

“From the looks of the evite - a lot of Eddie's work people too, including Lynn, Dom's sort-of-ex. I guess he's a big donor to the Centre.”

“Will that be a problem for Dom?”

“I don't see why it would. There was a period of time where you couldn't swing a rainbow flag without hitting someone Dom fucked.”

“Including you...”, Richie wraps himself possessively around Patrick's waist.

“Including me a million years ago”

“Yeah, but Lynn wasn't just a fuck, right?”

“True. Do you think I should call him? Make sure he's ok?”

“He knows Lynn might be coming - I'm sure he'd call you if he felt like he needed moral support.”

“I'm sure it will be fine.”

 

**Scene: Agustin & Eddie's Holiday House Party. **

All of the boys (plus a very pregnant Doris) are there, drinking (and spiking) the mulled wine. Richie and Chris have not arrived yet. Dom talks about planning a launch of a sit-down restaurant in the Spring. Doris repeats the suggestion of calling it Sister Dominic of the Tenderloin.  After a while, Dom slips away to use the bathroom. Of course, he bumps into Lynn in the hall.

“Dom! It's really good to see you.”

“Hi Lynn, happy holidays.” They hug.

“Really good.”, Lynn keeps a hand on Dom's bicep and looks him over, “How's the restaurant business treating you? I've heard great things.”

“Yeah, it's good. The window is doing well. We've even started thinking about a sit-down sister restaurant. So...yeah. You should stop by sometime. Uh,...how is Buds?” Dom glances at Lynn's hand uncomfortably. Lynn notices and moves it.

“Oh you know - I've been around so long, seems like all that changes is the season.”

“The benefits of being an institution.” Dom smiles, recalling their first conversation at the Baths.

“That's right. That's right. “ Lynn laughs and takes a deep breath. “Dom, I've been meaning to reach out to you...well, for a long while now, only I didn't know how to say what I wanted to say...about when we were together.”

Dom feels a rising panic as he looks at Lynn, and wonders for the 50th time where in hell Chris was. “Lynn...I am sure we covered all the bases the night Esta Noche closed.”

“We did. Except it wasn't until you left that I really thought about what you said. In fact, I've thought about it over and over, every night since then…about me being done. Not letting myself be surprised.   That night, I thought, ‘it's true - I don't want surprise, not any more’...but it feels like ever since…I’ve been - waiting - for something that will surprise me,....for _someone.”_ Lynn corrects himself. “And, well,...it's occurred to me that the reason I continue to wait is that surprising someone was...you.”

“Lynn, I….I don't know what to say.” Dom rubs the side of his face.

“I don't either. I don't know if you feel the same way, and I don't know - after so many years of holding back when I'm with someone...I don't know if I've lost the….muscle memory for trying this again. But, when I saw your name on Eddie’s evite, I thought….maybe we have been pulled back into each other's sphere for a reason.” Lynn moves closer to Dom "And I knew that this was my best chance to say what I needed to say, what I needed you to hear, even if it doesn't change anything for us." Dom is stunned into silence, but as Lynn begins to reach towards Dom, Chris comes bounding down the hallway.

“Dom, love. I'm so sorry I'm late. Stupid meeting went on forever. But - I am here now, and will be 100% all yours thru Christmas.” Chris lands a kiss on Dom and then turns and ‘notices’ Lynn. “G’day, Chris Jackman.”

Dom snaps back into the moment, “Sorry, where are my manners. Chris, this is Lynn - he's one of the co-owners of Buds in the Castro. Lynn, this is ah ..my boyfriend, Chris.” Lynn and Chris shake hands, but Lynn's gaze doesn't entirely leave Dom.

“Pleasure to meet you, Chris. Dom, great to see you.”

“Are you going?”

“I am. Just need to say goodbye to our hosts. Happy holidays.” Lynn shakes Dom's hand too, holds his arm for just a beat and moves on. Dom watches Lynn walk away.

“The famous Lynn…”

“Live and in person.”

“Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, everything was good. Surprisingly good.”

 


	2. Ghosts of Christmas Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick and Richie discuss Christmas plans, past and present.

**Scene: Party then Walk and Talk**  
Back in the party, Richie arrives, kisses Patrick and starts making the rounds. He spends some time talking with Chris about getting financing to expand the barber truck business. As the evening draws to its close, Patrick and Richie put on coats and head out into the early December night.

Richie is the first to speak, as they walk towards home, “Do you realize that this is going to be our first real Christmas together?”.  
“With the calendar and the party season starting, it’s crossed my mind.”  
“What did you do before?”  
“Well, while I was here, I went to my sister’s….until we stopped speaking over the whole Kevin debacle. What about you?”  
“Ah - so, Christmas was more like a tour. I have three sisters and a brother - they all have kids - two of the sisters still live around here. So - I would make the tour of kids opening presents in the morning, and be out by the afternoon.”  
“The family doesn’t do anything all together?”  
“Um..they do, but it got complicated, you know...with my dad. So, I usually would skip it.”  
“What do you want to do this year?”  
“Maybe we can do something - just us - this year? I don’t think we should do a ‘Meet the Parents’ on a major holiday - people are already all crazy.”  
“Yeah...so, about that. My mom is coming to town..next week.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah, so...isn’t it about time to meet the parents, non-holiday edition? First time around, we did everything too fast, but let’s not over compensate now.”  
“Ok, Pato… are you ready for this?”  
“I’m ready.”

Patrick takes Richie’s hand, they walk along in silence for a little while.

“Pato - I saw someone today that I feel like...I should tell you about.”  
“OK?”  
“Brady came by while I was doing a haircut in the Castro. He..um...asked me to trim his hair.”  
“And did you?” Patrick is out of his depth - he knows that the mature, adult thing to do is not care at all...but he doesn’t like Brady weaseling his way back into their lives and he can’t really pretend otherwise.  
“I did. It would have seemed awkward not to - especially with the other guy sitting in my chair.”  
Patrick struggles with his instinctive need to gloss over inconvenient emotions and pretend nothing is wrong and his honest reaction, which is somewhere right under ‘jealous rage’. He aims for a light, curious tone, “And how is Brady?”  
“Is that what you really want to know?” (Pause)  
“No. I want to know why in hell he can’t find any other person to cut his hair...there has GOT to be a barber in San Francisco for Lord Brady where there is less baggage.”  
“OK - you aren’t really taking this well..”  
“I tried,...but now the floodgates of insecurity have opened. Do you want to have Brady in your life?”  
“You realise that there is no way I can possibly say yes to that question without busting those floodgates, right?”  
“So you do!??”  
“I didn’t say that - and no, I don’t. He’s a reminder of a period in my life that I’m not particularly proud of. And he started drinking too much, too often. I don’t know if that is still true, but it wasn’t fun to be around. Shit - you saw what it could be like at the wedding.”  
“OK. Ok..What did Brady want - besides a trim?”  
“Maybe it was just to suss me out. See if you were still in the picture.”  
“Great - so he can sweep in when I quote, ‘break your heart again’...that’s just...shit.”  
“Hey, hey, hey - this IS the picture. You and me, together. Nothing Brady says or does changes that.”  
Patrick is torn, “I shouldn't dictate who your friends are,....but I can't help it, I'm so NOT ok with this.”  
“It's alright, Pato. Look,....if he comes by again, I’ll tell him that I think he should find a new barber, OK? I'd feel the same if you were hanging with Kevin again. Or, like, way worse, to be real with you.”  
Silence again, then Patrick asks, “Will Brady or Kevin ever just be another ex? Like your gringo with the Vespa? Or my six month attempt at dating?”  
“Maybe someday? But, it won't be easy for me to forget that Kevin took you away from me, in some way...and it won't be easy to pretend that I wasn't using Brady to keep myself from going after you. So, I don't think it will be any time soon.”


End file.
